普通高中课程标准实验教科书 英语选修8 Unit 1 Reading Task

　　LOUIS ARMSTRONG:THE GRANDFATHER OF JAZZ

　　Some people are considered great, not just because of their achievements but also because of their personalities. One such person is Louis Armstrong, who is without a doubt the most influential (有影响的) jazz musician of all time.

　　Born in New Orleans in 1901, Louis was so poor that he often went "shopping" in rubbish bins outside fancy restaurants. Although some boys in his situation might have turned to crime to get money for food and clothing, Louis never did. Instead he and several other boys sang on the streets of New Orleans to earn a few cents from passers-by.

　　At the age of 12, Louis was arrested by the police for firing a gun into the air at a New Year"s Eve party. He was sent to a school for problem boys where the music teacher taught him to play drums and the trumpet. When he left the school two years later, Louis found work wherever he could and in the evenings went to listen and learn at clubs where jazz musicians played. He was noticed by a well-known musician called Joe "King" Oliver who began to teach him about jazz and to find him jobs in bands. When Joe Oliver left New Orleans in 1917, Louis took over his job in one of the best bands in town.

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